KETO Friendly Almond & Lemon Squares (Gluten Free)

Two delicious pastry squares.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, melted
1 3/4 cups almond flour
1 cup Lakanto powdered monkfruit sweetener ( or erythritol)***
1/3 cup chopped slivered almonds
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 or 4 fresh lemons
3 large eggs
salt
additional 1/3 cup powdered monkfruit sweetener

powdered sweetener

Method:
Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease the sides of an 8 inch square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Mix together the butter, 1 cup of the almond flour, 1/4 cup sweetener, almond extract and almonds. Pour into the prepared pan. Use a spatula to spread and pat the mixture evenly on the bottom of the baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Zest the skin of one lemon into a bowl. Juice the lemons to create 1/2 cup of juice. Add the juice, eggs, 3/4 cup sweetener, 3/4 cup almond flour and a pinch of salt to the bowl with the lemon zest. Mix well.

Pour the lemon mixture onto the crust and bake for 25 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Use a sifter, or sieve, to lightly cover the top of the pastry with the additional 1/3 cup powdered sweetener. Cool completely, in the refrigerator, for 1 hour. Cut into 16 equal squares.

***If you are not following a KETO or diabetic meal plan, you may use regular powdered sugar in this recipe.

Nutritional information: Each square contains approximately 143.5  calories, 7.5 grams fat, 2.7 grams net carbs & 4.2 grams protein.

Nutritional info without almonds: approximately 130.6 calories, 6.4 grams fat, 2.5 grams net carbs & 3.8 grams protein

Notes:
For a less chewy crust, and a lemon only pastry, omit the almonds and almond extract. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the crust batter. 

I brought some of these squares to my godparents, and they were amazed that they were sugar and gluten free!